Israel-Hamas war: Understanding the psyche of the October 7 masterminds - opinion

On October 7, a most horrific attack was perpetrated by Hamas against humanity.

Babies were burned, women and teenaged girls gang-raped, Tai workers decapitated and tortured, and the list of horrors goes on and on. Senseless atrocities were committed in the so-called name of Islam and for the so-called freedom of the Palestinian people.

“What freedom?” one may ask, given the fact that Israeli forces evacuated the Gaza Strip in 2005. Not only was there not one Israeli soldier in the Strip since then, but there was not even one Jewish person left there, given the forced evacuation of all Jewish inhabitants of the area following a decision made by then-prime minister Ariel Sharon. Furthermore, even graves were dug out, and the bones of Jews who had been buried there, were removed and reburied in Israel.

So, in essence, there was not even one Jewish bone left in the Gaza Strip since 2005.

Hence, freedom is obviously not the reason for the heinous crimes committed by the Hamas terrorists on the very black Shabbat of October 7 against innocent Israeli civilians. What is it then that could have instigated and justified in the minds of the perpetrators such hateful horrifying behavior which they knew would undoubtedly release the great wrath of the Israelis against the Palestinians in the day after the attack?

I have often written about the mastermind of this war.

I have spoken, explained and outlined the grand plan of the mullah entity which stands behind this and that this war, which began with Gaza and was not and is not intended to end in Gaza, but in the entire region and in fact the world. This is the Iranian expansionist game plan which stands behind the obsessive arming, funding, and training of endless proxies by Iran in countless venues throughout the international arena, including the creation of dormant cells in Europe, the United States, Australia, and the rest of the Western World.

Understanding Hamas's psyche

THIS TIME, however, I wish to delve into the raison d’etre of the Hamas psyche. Although it momentarily serves the Iranian goal and is used, or rather abused, by mullah leadership in Iran to forward its own treacherous goals, it has its own characteristics. It is key to try to comprehend these characteristics, in order to be able to deal with the threat that they pose to humanity.

Hamas is a radical, Sunni Muslim terrorist group, whose ideology is based on the notion that any and all means are justified to reach a most revered and sought-after goal in its own eyes, and that is, similar to ISIS, the establishment of a radical Islamic caliphate first in the region – and then in the entire world.

Whereas ISIS had from the start demonstrated anti-Iranian sentiments and fought the Shi’ite Iranian militias in its various venues of influence (much to the chagrin and irritation of the Iranian regime), Hamas needs Iran and relies upon its weapons, funding, and training – and is thus complicit with its objectives; at least for now.

Hence, when people throughout the world chant slogans about freeing Palestine, they are indeed naively following a brainwashing campaign that has perhaps something to do with the Fatah movement. This is a secular, national Palestinian movement led by PA head Mahmoud Abbas. It is relatively weak and has nothing to do with the Hamas movement. The latter, a sister movement of the Muslim Brotherhood, is a radical Islamist movement that has absolutely nothing to do with national aspirations and everything to do with borderless, religious aspirations of world domination.

Moreover, Hamas has been systematically preparing for the day after Abbas, the president of the Palestinian people, whom the Western World naively perceives as the legitimate leader of the Palestinians. That is, despite the fact that he has denied the Palestinians the freedom of elections since he took office following his predecessor Arafat. Abbas is perceived by many of the Palestinians in the West Bank as a hugely corrupt leader, leading a hugely corrupt and cruel security mechanism and government.

Why is this relevant? Hamas uses this reality to weave its way into the hearts of young, disillusioned Palestinians in the West Bank and imprint upon their hearts a romantic version of a fair and idealistic claim to leadership, which includes heroic acts of resistance against the Jews.

Hence, armed, trained, and funded by Iran, Hamas has built itself an extremely efficient platform in the West Bank too, and is in essence simply awaiting the passing of Abbas in order to take over this area. Likewise, it has set up camp North of Israel, alongside its Shi’ite “brothers” in Lebanon, temporarily useful for the purpose of promoting its first goal of eliminating Israel.

The educational system enacted in the Gaza Strip, which spews poisonous incitement against Israel, all Jews, and Western culture, is augmented by summer camps and indoctrination centers run by the Hamas movement in mosques, teaching young boys and girls to hate.

The boys are taught that their role in this world is to become martyrs and for this purpose they are often brought to open graves, to become “familiar” with their destiny in this world, which as per their leaders, is to die as soon as possible whilst killing as many Jews as possible.

The aforementioned syllabus and hateful messaging are the very same in the West Bank. There is simply no difference and what is less known to the world is that it is the same in Jordan and in east Jerusalem.

Without eliminating this hateful incitement, alongside the armed radical terrorists of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and Jordan, the deaths of Israelis, Americans, and others who stand by the justified fight for the sake of humanity, will be in vain.

The indoctrination of generations of Palestinian children, who are in fact taken hostage by their own, is the untold tragedy that makes an endless circle of death and destruction the inevitable outcome for this region.

The West, together with regional powers such as Egypt, the Jordanian monarchy, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Morocco must stand up to this horrific phenomenon which can still be stopped, and do everything in its power to reinstate a completely different educational system in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jordan.

This must be the underlying condition for any step forward in the day after this horrific war.

The writer is a former MK from the Blue and White party, a former adviser to president Shimon Peres, and past deputy ambassador in Cairo.